Curriculum Toolkit
The Illinois Civics Hub Curriculum Toolkits provide tools for civics education aligned to state instructional mandates.
Civil, Brave and Reflective Classrooms
Students must feel safe and secure in the learning environment. Student voices should be included in establishing and maintaining expectations.
Current and Societal Issue Discussions
Facilitating student-to-student discussion provides students an opportunity to deliberate essential questions facing their community.
Direct Instruction on Democratic Institutions
Formal instruction in civics and government, history, economics, geography, law, and democracy increases young people’s tendency to engage in civic and political activities over the long term.
Service Learning
Informed action through service learning allows students to apply academic learning to real-world problems that are important to them. Service-learning differs from community service or volunteerism in that the action is informed by the curriculum.
Simulations of Democratic Processes
Simulations of democratic processes allow students to "do civics" in a safe environment to learn and practice knowledge skills and dispositions.
Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (T.E.A.A.C.H. Act)
Our Civic Learning Partners at Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) are hosting several professional learning opportunities for Illinois educators to become familiar with the TEAACH Act. AAAJ has also curated resources for K-12 implementation.
Inclusive History Mandates
Illinois Civics.org has curated resources to help educators meet the recommendations made by the Inclusive American History Commisssion Report to meet the mandates for teaching Inclusive History.
Media Literacy Toolkit
IL House Bill 234 amended the school code by adding a provision that, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, every public high school must include a unit of instruction on media literacy in its curriculum. It additionally sets forth what topics the unit of instruction shall include and provides that the State Board of Education shall determine how to prepare and make available instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to develop the unit of instruction. (Sponsors included: Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez [D], Rep. Stephanie A. Kifowit [D], and Rep. Janet Yang Rohr [D].) Our Media Literacy Toolkit provides classrooms with tools to help students consume and produce information wisely.
Responding to Questions about the Teaching of Social Studies
Many of the current media narratives around the teaching of civics and history provide both opportunities and challenges for classrooms this school year in the midst of an election season. What can districts do to combat misinformation and create a school climate to help students, staff and the community navigate the brewing “culture wars?”
Voting and Elections Toolkit
Teaching about voting and elections is an opportunity to engage students in the proven practices of civic education outlined in the 6-12th grade civics course requirements. IllinoisCivics.org has created a toolkit to provide resources and lesson plans to support this important work.